Board of Trustees
BOARD CONTACT INFORMATION
If you would like to contact the PUC Schools Boards of Trustees, please email [email protected].
BOARD MEMBERS
DR. JUANA MARIA VALDIVIA, BOARD CHAIR
Director of Student Outreach and Recruitment, California State University, Northridge
Juana Maria Valdivia was born in Pacoima where she currently resides. She is the youngest of nine children raised by hard working parents who migrated from Guanajuato, Mexico. Though her parents did not speak English and only completed some grammar school, they knew an education would make a difference in the lives of their children. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts and a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy studies from California State University Northridge (CSUN), where she currently serves as the Director of Student Outreach and Recruitment. She has worked in the field of higher education for more than 18 years, promoting college awareness to students and parents. She is a proud parent of a current student at PUC Triumph Charter High School as well as an alumna of the same school who now attends university.
DR. MONICA MONGE-GARCIA, BOARD SECRETARY
Dean of Student Learning, Moorpark College, Moorpark, CA
Monica Monge-Garcia is a native of the San Fernando Valley. Born and raised in Pacoima and San Fernando, Mrs. Monge-Garcia attended the local area public schools. She attended Los Angeles Mission College before transferring to Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena where she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s of Arts Degrees in Human Development with a specialization in Social Change. Mrs. Monge-Garcia has worked in higher education for the last 18 years. Currently, as a Dean at Moorpark College, her areas include English, Humanities, ESL credit/noncredit, Student Activities, Student Conduct and chairs the Behavioral Intervention Team. She is now ecstatic that she has the whole spectrum of education as a board member for PUC Schools. Her passion is in providing access to education to children and adults and being a board member allows her to serve her community.
MRS. ANNA ELIZABETH FLORES, BOARD TREASURER
Pupil Services & Attendance Counselor, LAUSD
Anna "Eliza" Flores is a proud first-generation daughter of immigrants who was raised in the San Fernando Valley. She obtained her Bachelor's in English from Loyola Marymount University in 2009 and her Masters in Science in 2017 for Educational Counseling from the University of La Verne. She is a firm advocate of access to mental health and higher education/learning. She has been in the school counseling and mental health field for 8 years and has experience in working in private, charter and district school settings. She has also worked with families who have experienced homelessness, students in Special Education, as well as LGBTQ+ students, and survivors of abuse. She currently works as a Pupil Services & Attendance Counselor to help address barriers families face when it comes to school attendance. Promoting social emotional wellness and an equitable access to an education is part of Eliza's passion and work. Her youngest sister attended and graduated from a PUC high school. Being of service is a driving force behind her work, and she is both eager and honored to be serving on the Board of Trustees for PUC Schools.
MR. XAVIER REYES, BOARD MEMBER
Founder & CEO, Alta Public Schools, Los Angeles, CA
Mr. Reyes is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Alta Public Schools, open-admission, tuition-free, public, International Baccalaureate charter schools that serve inner-city Los Angeles students. Mr. Reyes previously served at the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) as the Director of School Development and Outreach. In his capacity at the CCSA, he created and administered a statewide program called Charter Launch that trained and assisted charter school development teams to start their schools in San Diego, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Fresno, San Bernardino and Oakland. Before his tenure at CCSA, Mr. Reyes worked at the LAUSD as a New Facilities Outreach Organizer concentrating in the South and Southeast part of LAUSD as part of a new schools development team. He also has over fifteen years of marketing and business development management experience.
MS. SARAH GRAMS, BOARD MEMBER
Director of Innovation and Programs, Cesar Chavez Foundation's Education Fund
Sarah Grams is a former middle school teacher, PreK-12 teacher coach and high school administrator, with education roots in Baltimore, Milwaukee and Los Angeles public schools. Sarah received her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her M.A. in Education from the Johns Hopkins University. Sarah specializes in teacher coaching and instruction, with deep experience in equity-focused educational leadership serving communities of color across Los Angeles area public schools. Sarah currently works as the Director of Innovation and Programs at the Cesar Chavez Foundation’s Education Fund, overseeing new and growing programs that educate students’ hearts and minds, from afterschool programs to PreK-8 curricula and teacher trainings. Sarah lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three amazing children.